Water-motor.



N0 MODEL.

PATBNTE'D NOV. 22, 1904. J. P. MYSER.

WATER MOTOR.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 11 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

.ILMHS 61;. 11 I uc -m l'oz 170.775.776. PAIENTED NOV. 22, 1904.

' J. F. MYSER.

WATER MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 1903.

no MODEL. a SHEETS SHEET 2.

@9 11 1 cos c a No. 775,776.- PATENTED uov'pzz, 1904.

' J. F. MYSER.

WATER MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 1903.

NO MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3. v

UNTTED STATES Patented November 22, 1904.

PATENT OEETQE.

WATER-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 7 5,776, datedNovember 22, 1904. Application filed August 11, 1903. Serial No.169,136. on model.)

To al w/wm it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES F. MYsER, a citi- Zen of the UnitedStates,residing at Newcastle, in the county of Garfield and State ofColorado, have in vented a new and useful VVater-Motor, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to currentmotors, which can be placed innatural streams of water to obtain power therefrom.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a water -motor of theabove character which is simple in construction, the elements thereofbeing cheap to manufacture and capable of being readily assembled.Moreover, the structure is durable; but should any part becomedamaged,deranged, or worn from any cause a new element may be substitutedtherefor without-necessitating an entirely new wheel.

Another feature of the invention resides in novel means for elevatingthe wheel so as to stop the same or remove it from the water duringtimes of high water or floods. This means is very simple, does notmaterially interfere with the operation of the wheel while said wheel isin action, and is operated by the wheel. a

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings; but the invention is not limited to the exactstructure set forth.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a View in elevation of the motor, aportion of the wheel being broken away. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of themotor. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the lower portion ofthe same. Fig. 4: is a sectional View taken on the line at w of Fig. 3,showing one of the hub members of the wheel in plan. Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view of said hub member. Fig. 6 is a similar view of thespacing-sleeve. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the blades. Fig.8 is a detail perspective view of the lower portion of the shaft. Fig. 9is a perspective view of the step-bearing forming a part of said shaft.

Similar reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The motor is preferably constructed to be placed along the shore of thestream, and a shore-wall 10 is therefore employed having a semicircularinset portion 11, forming a similarly-shaped eddy-compartment 12, theouter side of which is open. A suitable frame 13 is located above thechamber, while a sleeper 14 is preferably located in the bottom of thesame. The sleeper 14 carries asuitable baseblock 15, having anupstanding boss 16 secured thereto, this boss being provided with abearing-receiving socket 17, as illustrated particularly in Fig. 3. Anupright shaft 19 has its upper end suitably journaled in the frame 13,the lower end of said shaft being provided with a detachablestep-bearing 20.

This bearing is preferably cone-shaped and fits in the socket 17 of thebase-block, its upper end having spaced seats 21, arranged to receivesimilarly-formed teeth 22, projecting from the lower end of the shaft.The shaft is located. in the open side of the chamber 12, and the wallsof said chamber are disposed concentrically to the same.

The wheel consists of spaced hub members 23, slidably mounted upon theshaft, each member comprising semicircular sections 24:, which surroundsaid shaft and are provided with inwardly-extending oppositely-disposedteeth 25, that slidably engage in longitudinally-dis posed keyways 26,formed in the opposite sides of the shaft. The abuttecl ends of thesections have outstanding ears 27, through which are passed fasteningbolts 28. The hub members are held in spaced relation by a skeletonsleeve 29, also formed of sections that surround the shaft and havingoutstanding ears 30, secured together by bolts 31. This sleeve is placedbetween the hub-members and is attached thereto for this purpose. Saidmembers and sleeve are provided with outstanding lugs 32, over which areengaged connecting-links 33. 1

The hub members 23 are provided with radially-disposed integral fingers34c, to which are attached radial arms 35' by means of bolts 36. Theouter ends of the arms of each set are connected by tie-rods 37, and thearms of one member are disposed in vertical alinement with the arms ofthe other. Hinge-bolts 38 connect said arms and upon the same are hungIOO swinging blades 39, the outer blades being preferably of greaterwidth than the inner ones. These blades are free to swing in'ouedirection-namely, in an angular relation with respect to the armsbutwhen swung parallel thereto constitute paddles extending from the shaftto the outer ends of the arms. The wheel as thus constructed fits snuglywithin the chamber and revolves in a horizontal position through saidchamber.

The means for elevating the wheel will now be described. A cuff 40 isfitted upon the shaft 19 above the upper hub member 23, this cuffcomprising sections secured together by bolts 41. An outstanding annularflange 42 is formed upon the upper end of the cuff and is provided inits under face with a depression or groove 13. A supporting deviceformed of a collar M is placed upon the shaft and surrounds the cufl,said collar being located beneath the flange 12 and having a groove 45in its upper face. The coacting grooves 43 and et5 form a raceway, inwhich are placed balls 46, and thus a ball-bearing is formed between thecollar and the cuff. The cuff is attached to the wheel by means of links17 engaging over projections 48, formed upon the adjacent ends of thecuff and upper hub member.

- J ournaled in the frame 13 at one side of the shaft is a drum 19,about which is wrapped a cable 50, one end of this cable being attachedto a stud 51, projecting from the supportingcollar, the other endcarrying a counterbalance in the form of a weight 52. A brakewheel 53 isattached to the drum, and a suitable friction-brake 5 L coaetstherewith. A ratchet-wheel 55 is also carried by the drum, and a dog 56,pivoted upon the frame, is arranged to engage the teeth of said wheel.Located on the side of the shaft 19 opposite the drum and counterweightabove described is another counterweight, 57, attached to the end of acable 58, that passes over a pulley 59, suitably secured to a portion ofthe frame 13. This cable passes about another pulley 60, journaled in anupstanding arm 61, that is attached to the supporting-ring on the sideopposite the stud 51, the end of the cable being fastened in an eyebolt62, that is secured to the frame. The two counterweights 52 and 57 arenot sufficient to elevate the wheel, but overcome a considerable portionof the weight thereof.

Mounted on the frame 13 is a horizontal power-shaft 62, carrying apulley 63. Another drive-pulley, 64, is attached to the upper end of thevertical shaft 19, and this pulley is connected with the pulley 68 by asuitable belt 65. A drum 66 is mounted adjacent to the power-shaft andis provided with a pulley 67, about which passes a belt 68, that alsoextends around a pulley 69, mounted on the power-shaft. The pulley 69 ispreferably-a clutch-pulley of any desired form, so that it may bedisconnected from the shaft, as dewill be projected into the streamproper, and

the current thereof striking the blades will cause said wheel torevolve, consequently rotating the upright shaft 19, the main pulley 64,and consequently the power-shaft 62. The inner side of the wheel beinglocated within the chamber will be protected from the force of thecurrent and will offer no material resistance to the revolution of thewheel, as the blades can swing upon their hinges. However, under normalconditions an eddy will be formed by the chamber and the revolution ofthe wheel, so that the water in the chamber will move in the directionof the wheel and will therefore serve to assist in propelling the same.As long as the pulley 69 is unclutched from the power-shaft the wheelwill remain submerged, and consequently in operation; but should itbecome desirable or necessary to elevate said wheel it is only necessaryto clutch the pulley 69 to the shaft 62, whereupon the drum 66 will berevolved, the cable 70 wound thereon, thus drawing upwardly upon thesupporting-ring and carrying the wheel hung therefrom to an elevatedposition. The power required for this movement will not be very great,as the weight of the wheel is to a great extent counterbalanced by theweights 52 and 57, and the momentum gained by the parts during therevolution will be sufficient to carry the wheel well above the surfaceof the water. It is held elevated by the ratchet and dog 55 and 56. Tolower the wheel after such elevation, it is only necessary to releasethe dog 56 and unclutch the pulley 69. The weight of the wheel thereforewill overcome the weight 52 and 57, and said wheel will consequentlydrop into the water, the rapidity of the movement being controlled bythe brake 54:. This feature of raising the wheel is an important one forvarious purposes. Not only may the machinery driven by the motor bequickly stopped, but in case of high water and floods when driftwood andthe like is carried by the stream the wheel may be raised so as to avoidany injury from such causes. The structure, moreover, is verysimple, thevarious elements being so arranged that they can be quickly set up andassembled. Should an accident befall any part, it may be replacedwithout the necessity of an entirely new wheel. The principal wearcoming upon the step-bearing, said bearing has been made removable inorder that it can be renewed when necessary. The motor can be employedin obtaining power for various purposes, such as generating electricity,hoisting, irrigating, and the like.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, andmany advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art without further description, and it will beunderstood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, andminor details of construction may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a current-motor, the combination with a fiume having a side wall,of an inset semicircular chamber extending into the wall, said chamberhaving a completely-inclosed inner portion and an outer open side thatcommunicates with the flume, an upright shaft journaled in the openside. of the chamber, outstanding arms carried by the shaft, said shaftbeing disposed a sufficient distance from the inner wall to permit thearms to move in substantially horizontal planes through said chamber,said arms being also movable in a substantiallyhorizontal plane throughthe flume, and blades carried by the arms and movable substantially in ahorizontal direction through the inner portions of the chamber andthrough the flume.

2. In a current-motor, the combination with a flume having an uprightside wall, of an inset semicircular chamber extending into the wall,said chamber having a continuous curved wall extending from the outerface of the flumewall and furthermore having an outer open side thatcommunicates with the fiume, an upright shaft journaled in the open sideof the chamber, outstanding upper and lower arms rigidly secured to theshaft below the waterline of the flume, said arms moving insubstantially horizontal planes through the flume and chamber, and aplurality of horizontallyswinging blades located between and hinged tocorresponding sets of arms, said blades being movable in a substantiallyhorizontal direction through the flume and chamber.

3. Ina current-motor, the combination with an upright shaft, of amotor-wheel slidably mounted on the shaft and having a slidinginterlocking connection therewith throughout the extent of its slidingmovement, whereby said wheel and shaft are held against relativerotation, a power-shaft driven from the upright shaft, a drum, a cableconnecting the drum and motor-wheel, a pulley loosely mounted on thepower-shaft and having operative connections with the drum, and a clutchcarried by the power-shaft for connecting the same to the loose pulley.

at. In a current-motor, the combination with an upright shaft, of amotor-wheel slidably mounted on the shaft, a sliding interlockingconnection between the wheel and shaft for holding them against relativerotation while permitting the sliding movement of the wheel, apower-shaft driven from the upright shaft,

a drum having a shaft, a cable connecting the drum and motor-wheel,pulleys mounted on the power and drum shafts, one of said pulleys beingloose, a clutch for connecting the loose pulley to its shaft, and a beltconnecting the pulleys.

5. In a current-motor, the combination with an upright rotatable shaft,of a non-rotatable supporting device slidably mounted on the shaft, awheel slidably mounted on the shaft, interlocking connections betweenthe wheel and shaft for holding the same against relative rotationthroughout the sliding movement of the wheel and permitting said slidingmovement,arev0luble connection between thewheel and the supportingdevice, a counterbalance for the wheel connected to the supportingdevice, and automatic means for elevating the wheel, said means beingdriven from the shaft and being attached to the supporting device.

6. In a current-motor, the combination with an upright shaft, of asupporting-collar slidably mounted on the shaft, a wheel mounted on theshaft and having a revoluble ball-bearing engagement with the collar,and a counterbalance attached to the collar.

7. In a current-motor, the combination with an upright shaft, of asupporting device slidably mounted on the shaft, a wheel mounted on theshaft and having a revoluble ball-bearing engagement with the supportingdevice,

and means for elevating the wheel, said means being attached to thesupporting device.

8. In a current-motor, the combination with a shaft, of a non rotatablecollar slidably mounted on the shaft, a current-wheel slidably mountedon the shaft and revoluble therewith, said wheel having a connectionwith the collar, and counterbalances attached to opposite sides of thecollar.

9. In a current-motor, the combination with a shaft, of a non rotatablecollar slidably mounted on the shaft, a current wheel slidably mountedon the shaft and revoluble therewith, said wheel having a connectionwith the collar, counterbalances attached to opposite sides of thecollar, and elevating means coacting with the counterbalances.

10. In a current-motor, the combination with an upright shaft, of anon-rotatable collar slidably mounted on the shaft, a currentwheelslidably mounted on the shaft and revoluble therewith, said wheel havinga revoluble engagement with the collar, a drum, a cable wrapped upon thedrum, said cable having one end attached to the collar, a weight carriedby the other end, a friction-wheel attached to the drum, andafriction-brake coacting with the wheel.

11. In a current-motor, the combination neath the flange, ballsinterposed between the flange and collar, counterweights attached to thecollar on opposite sides of the shaft, and means connected with one ofthe counterweights and driven by the shaft for elevating the wheel.

12. In a current-motor, the combination with an ordinary shaft, of acurrent-wheel slidably mounted upon and revoluble with the shaft, anon-rotatable supporting-collar coacting with the wheel, a cableattached to the collar and carrying a counterweight, and means forelevating the wheel, said means being attached to the cable.

13. In a current-motor, the combination with an upright shaft, of acurrent-wheel slidably mounted upon the shaft and revoluble therewith, asupporting-collar coacting with the wheel, spaced pulleys, one of whichis carried by the collar, a cable passing about said pulleys, acounterweight secured to one end of the cable, and means for elevatingthe wheel, said means being attached to the cable between the pulleys.

1 1. In a current-motor, a shaft, spaced hub members mounted on theshaft, a spacingsleeve mounted on the shaft and interposed between thehub members, the opposite ends of the sleeve engaging the hub membersand holding the same in spaced relation, and blades connected with thehub members.

15. In a current-motor, a shaft, spaced hub members slidably mounted onthe shaft, a spacing-sleeve slidably fitted upon the shaft between thehub members to hold the hubs in spaced relation, detachable connectionsbetween the sleeve and hub members, and blades connected with the hubmembers.

16. In a current-motor, a shaft, spaced hub members mounted on theshaft, a skeleton spacing-sleeve interposed between the hub members andengaging the same to hold them separated, links connecting the sleeveand hub giembers, and blades carried by the hub memers.

17. In a current-motor, an upright shaft, spaced upper and lower hubmembers mounted on the shaft and having outstanding lugs,

a skeleton spacing-sleeve interposed between the hub members andengaging the same to hold them apart, said sleeve having outstandinglugs, links connecting the adjacent lugs of the sleeve and hub members,outstanding arms carried by the hub members, and swinging bladesattached to and located between the arms.

18. In a current-motor, the combination with a shaft havinglongitudinally-disposed keyways in its opposite sides, of a hub membercomprising sections that surround the shaft and each carrying keys thatlit in the keyways, means for securing the sections together, radialarms carried by the sections, and blades attached to the arms.

19. In a current-motor, the combination with an upright shaft providedwith longitudinally-disposed keyways in its opposite sides, of spacedhub members each comprising sections that surround the shaft and each ofsaid sections having a key fitting in one of the keyways, means forsecuring the sections together, a spacing-sleeve fitted between andengaging the members to hold them separated, said sleeve comprisingsections, connections between the sleeve and the members, spaced radialarms carried by the members, and swinging blades attached to and locatedbetween the arms.

20. In a current-motor, the combination with a base-block having aconical bearingsocket, of a shaft having longitudinally-extending teethprojecting from the peripheral edge of its lower end, a current-wheelcarried by the shaft, and a conical step-bearing fitting in the socketof the block and having detachable engagement with the lower end of theshaft, said bearing being provided at its upper end with seats thatreceive the teeth of the shaft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. MYSER.

WVitnesses:

J W. NEWMAN, JOHN W. BITTER.

